Classroom Profile

There is a total of 24 students per class hour for both the social studies and algebra

classes. To focus on one specific class hour, there are 12 boys and 10 girls. There are six students

with IEPs and 504s including two with multiple disorders of a combination of learning disability

and emotional disorders, three with learning disabilities, and one with behavioral disorders.

While this class does not have a special education co-teacher or parapro, the students with IEPs

and 504s do have a resource room that they visit once a day to get assistance on their work as

well as the location where they can take their tests with minimal distractions. As the students are

working in small groups, it will be necessary to be aware of the personality combinations as well

as learning levels in each group.

Section #1: Classroom Setting

The ideal physical structure of the classroom will have the door at the back of the room

with three large openable windows opposite of it. The back of the room will have a wall that

creates a separate room for storage and study areas. Surrounding the room (almost entirely) will

be whiteboards, this will allow the students to break away into small groups and pairs to work on

a problem or activity with plenty of room to work. It will also allow the students to have a

chance to get up and move around as they are working. On one poster or section of the

whiteboard will be the agenda for the day/week. This will include what is expected for that class

hour, what the overall plan is for the week, and reminders of upcoming assignments/projects and

their due dates (Lewis, n.d.). By posting the agenda it will help students to know what is

expected of them during class time as well as throughout that week. This will help my students to

build a routine for the class as the events in the class will run in a fairly predictable manner

(Warm-up, Instruction, Activity, Wrap-up). This will help the class to run smoother as students
know what to expect (Johnson, 2017). By including the due dates for assignments I am providing

students with a constant reminder of what they need to be working on and how much longer they

have to work on it. A tentative schedule will be given to them in their syllabus, this would

include major assignments and their point breakdowns as well as roughly when their due.

At the top of the walls surrounding the room will be pictures with short biographies of

important mathematicians and historical figures in that subject area (Algebra, Geometry, US

History, World History, etc.). These biographies will focus more on non-European figures. Many

times, when students study the history of math and world history, there is a tendency to focus on

European perspective and people, by focusing my biographies on the important figures outside of

Europe, the students will see how the rest of the world helped to shape their lives. These will

either be purchased or created by me based on the subjects taught in a given year. Tailoring the

biographies to the subject allows the students to connect with the people who had made

important contributions to those areas. In the back of the room will be posted the Expectations

and Procedures for the class. These will be also be given to the students in the syllabus at the

beginning of each semester. These will be in decorated poster form as opposed to being written

on the whiteboard as they would not change often.

While teacher’s do not have the luxury of sitting often, my chair in the room must be

comfy and on wheels because it will be the only thing I get to sit on after a whole day of standing

so it has to be very comfortable for those few moments when I do have the chance to relax. The

teacher’s desk will be in the front corner so that I have a view of the entire class. The desk

should have a center drawer and drawers on one side. While most of the supplies will be in

baskets or boxes in the wall cubbies, I would like to have some stored in my desk for ease of use.

On my desk beside my computer will be an ELMO connected to a ceiling projector. A ceiling

projector that connects to my computer as well as to a desktop ELMO will be needed. This will

allow me the freedom to show my students videos and websites or to work on a problem and

show it to the class. While a smartboard would be very useful and if my classroom is equipped

with it, I would be able to use its capabilities, but I like the versatility of using the projector with

a whiteboard as the screen. This would allow me to use the whiteboard for students to work on

instead of losing that section of the wall to the smartboard.

Student tables will be formed into groups of four to easily allow for small group and pair

work. Small group work helps students to learn to collaborate, learn critical thinking skills, can

help students to fill in any gaps in their knowledge (UNSW, 2018). Providing students with the

opportunity to collaborate and develop their interpersonal skills is just as important as their

ability to learn the content material. The formation of groups also allows me to use them as

stations for different lessons. The chairs at the students’ desks should be comfortable and

colorful. The students are going to be sitting in them for almost an hour and if they are

uncomfortable, then they won’t be able to concentrate on the material. The colors for the chairs

are to allow me to call one for a random student from each group without singling anyone out. I

can assign different parts of a project to each color chair, this helps me to know that each person

in the group has done some part of the project, as a part was assigned to each person.

In the side study room, there will be a high-top table with four tall stools the students can

use for study as well as four colorful bean bags for students to relax and study. Having a side

study room is there for when we have review or project workdays. The flexible seating allows

for students to be comfortable and being out of the main classroom will allow students who need

a quieter area to be able to study with the class but away from the distractions.
 The windows will provide much of the preferred natural light. When the room is brighter,

it can help to improve students’ moods, if the room is darker or feeling closed in, then students

are more likely to shut down emotionally and become detached. In the study room, there are

strings of colorful twinkly lights for light and fun. The room will be lit by the fluorescent lights

but the colored twinkle lights are just to help make the room cheerful and less closed off.

In the side room, there will be two tall filing cabinets with six drawers. One of these will

be used to keep math resources, handouts, and previous lessons while the other will hold the

same for social studies. In this room will also be two bookcases. One of these will hold resource

books for teaching, pedagogies, and strategies as well as book resources specifically for math

and social studies. A series of shelves with baskets holding raw materials for projects (popsicle

sticks, yarn, colorful discs, dice, etc.). This will allow students to have access to materials

quickly for any of their projects. Two baskets will contain snacks that have long shelf lives. This

way students who have missed or did not get breakfast can have a quick snack. If a class is

having a study day, they can have snacks while they work.

Behind the teacher's desk will be a short cupboard with locking drawers. This would

provide me a place to lock up my purse as well as any files that I need to keep confidential. It

will also provide me with a place where I can quickly pull out reference material for my current

classes (keep this quarter’s references in this cabinet while the rest are in the filing cabinets).

Above the cabinet will be a set of wall cubbies. This will be used for keeping supplies either for

the classroom or for my desk (i.e. staples, pencils/pens, folders/notebook paper).

In the classroom, there will be two tall bookcases that hold resources need for that quarter

for the classes. The shelves will hold both books and materials that students are going to need

throughout their class. Under the windows will be a wall-length bookcase containing the
classroom library. These are both fiction and nonfiction books relating to the topics we will

cover that year in math and social studies. The students can borrow the books at any time and

can use the nonfiction as additional resources for assignments. On top of this bookcase is going

to be the trays for assignments.

Section #2: Procedures

The procedures for the classroom will be posted in the classroom on a poster with the

heading “PROCEDURES”. This will allow students to know what they should do in different

situations. If they come to class and cannot remember where they pick up absent work, where

and when they turn in their homework they are going to be distracted and confused, knowing the

procedures will help students to participate in class with fewer misunderstandings about what I

expect them to do (Aguilar, 2008).

When students enter the room, they will be expected to come into the room and find their

seats. I plan to have a seating chart so that my students will always know where they need to sit

as well as placing the students into groups that will help balance their strengths and weaknesses.

When the students enter, they will need to pull out their journals and start on the warm-up for the

day. Located on the bookcase under the window are a set of trays with one labeled for each class

hour for homework. Homework is to be turned in either at the beginning or the end of class

unless otherwise told, such as if the assignment must be collected before the class starts or after

an in-class review. Assignments are not to be turned in during instruction as the students need to

focus on the material during that time.

Next to the homework trays are also the absent work trays. While students are working

on their exit tickets, I will write the name of the absent students on a copy of the handout and
worksheets for that day. These are then put into the absent work tray for each class hour. When

the absent student comes back, they will pick up their missing assignments. This allows me to

see which students have picked up their work and students know which assignments they are

supposed to pick up because their name is written on it. Depending on the length of absence will

depend on how long the student has to make up their work, this will be determined on a case by

case basis.

The two bookcases in the classes will hold resources for each subject. This will include

the textbooks for that specific class as well as any other resources that may be needed. For social

studies, these resources will include dictionaries, atlases (current geography), historical

documents (book collections, reproductions, printouts, etc.), historical biographies, maps

(historical geography), study guides (US History, World History, etc.). For math, these resources

will include dictionaries, calculators (in a basket/box), protractors, rulers, math biographies,

historical math documents or books (copies of Euclid’s elements, Ars Magna, etc.), study guides

(Algebra, Calculus, etc.). Resources will be used based on the lesson, for projects any resources

may be referenced to help clarify understanding or to support an argument (for both math and

social studies). Should any special resources be needed for a specific subject, such as protractors

for geometry, or battle plans for history, these will be rotated onto the shelves for easy access.

The resources that are not being used can be moved back to storage.

At the end of class, the students are to remain at their desks, they cannot line up to the

door. They also cannot pack up early, they have to wait until I have ended class to pack up their

belongings. As an exit ticket is required at the end of each class, students need to turn this in

before they can leave. There will be times when I collect the exit tickets as they walk out and

other times, they place it in the collection tray for their class hour.
 During class, students will need to have explicit permission to leave the classroom and

they may not leave the class during instruction times. An example of this is that students need to

ask before leaving the room for the bathroom and only one student may leave the room at a time.

Students are responsible for bringing their materials to class. It is preferred that students should

go to their locker between classes. If they need to go during class, they should ask to go either

immediately after class starts or must wait until after direct instruction. If a student needs a

pencil, they may go to the pencil cup and take a pencil. However, they are expected to quietly get

up, get a pencil, and get back to work. If the class cannot do that then the students will be

required to raise their hands and quietly wait for the teacher to permit them to go and get one or

ask their neighbor to borrow one (Roy, 2015). Drinks are allowed only if they are in sealable

containers. Snacks are only allowed at certain times; I do not want students crinkling potato chip

bags while I am trying to teach. There will be days where the students will get snacks to eat

during class. However, they are expected to clean up after themselves. If the class does not do

this, then the snacks will be removed, and food will be banned completely.

Periodically we have our emergency drills. Before we have our first drill, I will walk

through what the students should expect when we have a drill. We can have a mini-presentation

to layout where we go including pictures. “In case of a fire we go right out of the classroom

down this hallway (picture) turning left at the dead-end to this hallway (picture) and out through

the doors (picture) and to the meeting place (picture)”. This would give students a chuckle as I

play tour guide through their school and it would also provide a visual for new students as well

as visual learners who can benefit from “seeing” where they are expected to go.

There are several transitions that the students will have during class. The transition into

the class will be accomplished with a daily warmup in their journals. The warmups serve as a
way to get students thinking about what they are studying. For social studies, this could be a

writing prompt, a DBQ, reading a map, or writing a prediction or a conclusion. For math, this

could be a writing prompt, a problem from the previous section, a challenging problem to be

done in pairs or small groups. The transition into direct instruction will be accomplished through

the discussion of the warmup. It would help to serve as a link between the previous day’s work

and today’s material. The transition between instruction and practice would include passing out

the activity for the day and then reading the directions out loud and clarifying any points of

confusion. This would allow students to get started on the activity once they start working in

their small groups or pairs. Finally, the transition out of the activity will be helped by a timer.

This will help students to keep track of how long they have to complete the activity as well as

providing a warning about when we are going to either switch to another activity or start

cleaning up for the end of class (Finley, 2017).

Section #3: Norms and Learning Agreements

Some rules will be decided by the school. These rules cannot be changed. Outside of the

school’s established rules, there are some norms that I will have in place that the students get no

say in. For example, Students must wait until after direct instruction to leave the room. If

students are getting up and down during the direct instruction, then the other students aren’t

hearing what I’m saying and are having difficulty with concentrating. Leaving for any reason can

happen before or after but during the approximately 10 minutes of direct instruction, students can

stay in their seats. However, these norms may loosen up as I gain experience in teaching

depending on the class. However, it is easier to loosen the reins, so to speak, than to have to drag

the students back into line. So, I would rather have stricter rules in the beginning than have to

become more militant during the year.

 An example of my chosen norms would be Make your thinking visual! Whether we are

working in math or social studies students need to show their thinking so that I can understand

how they are approaching something and what their thought process is. In math, we tell students

to Show Your Work and they hate to do that. By rephrasing and explaining that they can use

anything they need to (sketch a picture, draw a diagram, write out phrases that pop in their head)

to show me how they approached the situation I am giving students the ability to show me in

their way what they know instead of forcing them to show me how I think they should have done

it. I can help my students visualize their thinking but demonstrating how I think things out. If it is

a math problem, then I can talk out how I would approach it so they can see what kinds of things

I notice versus what they noticed. If it is a historical document, then talking out the language in

the document and showing them how I would breakdown an excerpt. This will give them the

confidence to scribble notes on their excerpts since there is not a right or only way to break it

down (Vanderwerf, 2019).

These norms will be posted on a poster as “Ms. Hoerr’s norms”. However, students

should get to also choose some of the norms and learning agreements. To get my students

involved in creating their norms and learning agreements I am going to create a list of 10 other

norms that the students can choose. They will work in small groups and rank the norms from

most important to least important. The results will then be tallied on the board and we will use

the Borda count method of voting to decide the winner. (This assigns points based on what

choice a rule got then the total points are added up). The rules that receive the four highest

number of points will be the class’s norms.

This method allows students to collaborate on what norms they feel are important for

their class (EL Education, n.d.). It also allows me to have some control over what the students
are going to choose. The list I create can have norms that would be nice in the class but aren’t so

vital that if they’re not voted for that I’m going to need to implement them anyway. I want the

students to see how their vote can affect their lives (Stanford University, n.d.).

The students get to practice the Borda count method which is an election method used

that integrates both math and social studies into a real-world scenario. While the United States

does not use this method of voting it is a good idea to introduce different methods to see how this

method can change the result (Boss, 2011). It also allows students to have the opportunity to

argue that if one of the norms they want is not included why they feel that it should and if they

can convince the class then it can be added to their class norms. The class’s norms are going to

be written up and placed around Ms. Hoerr’s Norms so that the norms for every class can be seen

by every other class. This gives students something to talk about on why they think a class chose

the norms they did and whether they are happy with the way the election turned out (another

thing that they will experience in real life as well).

Section 4: Assessment Procedures

Formative Assessment

Important to have a range of formative assessments. Formative assessments can range

from simple and unplanned to complicated projects. The most common form of formative

assessment is achieved by the teacher observing the class. This observation can be used in

several different ways. For example, a teacher can observe student behavior during direct

instruction on the attention the students are paying to the material. If student attention is waning,

then the teacher can adapt and could break the instruction to practice the concepts or a class

discussion. Another way to utilize observation is by observing students’ facial expressions both
during instruction and during classwork. If several of the students are looking confused, then the

teacher may need to rephrase some of the concepts to help clarify the material. Observation

allows teachers to gain feedback quickly and silently based on the body language of the students.

The better a teacher knows their students the more effective this method will be. (Scholastic,

n.d.)

A more complicated form of assessment is to create projects that require students to apply

information both from the current section as well as applicable information from previous classes

(Thomas, 2019). This broad set of information can then be applied in different ways so that the

students are working with the information in different ways. For example, in social studies this

could include asking students to write an article on a topic, constructing a diorama of an event,

asking students to research and present an aspect of a lesson that they find interesting. Warm-ups

and exit tickets can also provide teachers with a quick idea of the class’s level of understanding.

The warm-ups help the students to get back into the mindset of that subject area as well as

providing the teacher feedback on what the students remember from the previous day’s

instruction. Exit tickets provide a snapshot of what the students have learned during the class

hour. By quickly looking through the exit tickets at the end of the hour, the teacher can see if

there is a specific area that most of the students understand or misunderstand. This will help

them to adapt their instruction for the next day. This works especially well for math classes

where the material must be clearly understood by the students for them to be successful in future

classes. If there is a common misconception that the class holds, the exit ticket can help to show

that and allow the teacher to address it in the next class.

Summative Assessments
 Summative assessments can take different forms depending on what the students are

studying. Some forms of summative assessment can be used for both social studies and math. An

example of this is a multiple-choice test. While this form does not usually require higher-level

thinking in social studies, it can be used in conjunction with a project-based summative

assessment. For example, the chapter’s vocabulary and terminology might be completed with a

brief multiple-choice test while the concepts of the chapter are assessed using a more

complicated project. Multiple choice is a common form of assessment for many standardized

tests. Having math students complete a multiple-choice test for their math class could still

require them to work through each problem but can then guide the answer by requiring them to

choose from one of four options. Ideally, for both math and social studies, the multiple-choice

will always be paired with another form of assessment, such as a short answer or an essay

question. For math, the multiple-choice could be paired with the requirement to show work,

require students to write how they would solve a problem, or by giving an incorrectly solved

problem and having the students prove where the error occurred and what the correct answer

should be.

Another form of summative assessment that can be used is the Tic-Tac-Toe or Menu

strategy. This allows students to choose from different types of assessments to showcase what

they have learned (Webster, 2019). It provides the teacher with a clear demonstration of their

abilities, but also provides students with the ability to have some say in how they are tested. This

method can be used in both social studies and math. For social studies, the teacher can include

different forms for the students to present their knowledge. For example, all students must write

a paragraph on a specific prompt but can choose between writing out a short essay on a topic or

creating a poster that shows their knowledge on that topic. Both would demonstrate that they
understand the material but allows students to choose how they present that knowledge. For

students who feel that their writing is weak, they can draw out what they know by combining

their knowledge with their creativity and show off what they know. For math students, the ability

to choose may be shown in tiered problems. Students may have to complete a minimum of one

easy, medium, and hard problems, but can then choose to complete a total of seven from any of

those categories. The more confident students can choose the more complicated problems in the

medium and hard tiers, while students who aren’t as confident can still show they understand the

material by completing several easy problems with a few mediums to round out their selection.

Hope in Assessments

To help students to keep hope in a subject or to gain confidence in a subject I can use

tiered assessments, where students can choose which tier, they want to complete. Each tier will

show that the student completing it has mastered the material. However, for those students who

are struggling with the material they have the option of completing the problems that

demonstrate their mastery of the basic concepts and may encourage them to attempt a few of the

middle tier problems as a challenge. For students who are more comfortable with the material,

they may only do one or two of the first-tier problems and focus more on the second-tier

problems, while attempting a few of the third-tier problems as a challenge. (Cox, 2014).

Standardized Assessment/Data-driven

By utilizing the data from standardized tests, I will be able to have a baseline for my

students’ abilities. This is not to say that this should be the only indication of what my students

know; some students know the material but do poorly on tests. That is why the data from these

tests should only be considered as one aspect of the academic ability of a student. However, there
are several standardized tests that the students take and the data from those tests do play a part in

how I should teach. In secondary students are required to take the following: NWEA, PSAT,

MSTEP, SAT. According to my social studies CT, the data from these tests are used, with social

studies, to guide what overall practices the teachers should be included in their lesson plans. For

example, there has been a push for more DBQs, map and graph reading as well as reading and

writing assessments across the disciplines to help students gain experience in these areas, which

will, in turn, help them on the standardized tests. My math CT has a login for both the NWEA

and the College Board (PSAT and SAT) so that he can access the test scores and see which

area(s) the students are weaker in so that he can create more support in those areas. The school

also looks at the overall scores and focuses on those same areas. They compare the overall wrong

answer counts to those of the state and national averages. If Algonac is at or above those

averages, then the math department works to create support in that area of the curriculum to

ensure that the students will be able to bring up their scores on future tests.

Authentic Assessment

An authentic assessment requires that students apply what they have learned to a situation

or scenario that could occur in the real world. For math, we can look at what types of scenarios

the material can be used and then require students to solve that problem. The style of the

assessment is incredibly flexible and can be adapted for all subject areas. It can also “assess the

students’ ability to efficiently and effectively use…knowledge and skills to negotiate a complex

task” (Wiggins, n.d.). Authentic assessments will require more time and effort from me, but I

feel that the benefits to the students are worth the extra time. For math, I can create a scenario

that would use the math that they have learned. For example, if I present a scenario where the

students need to construct a bridge across a specific size canyon. They would need to know how
much material is needed, study different types of bridges, and decide which type would be best

for that location. For social studies, I can choose an event in history and require the students to

act as a participant in that event. For example, for the American Revolution, I can assign students

to be either Loyalists or Patriots and then different occupations, such as merchants, farmers,

plantation owners, shipping. By combining economics, political science, and history, students

have to apply not only what they have learned in social studies class, but also what they have

learned in previous years and classes. This also helps them to connect the material they are

learning to parts of the real world which in turn helps them become more engaged with the

material (WKCD, 2012).

Remediation standards/practices

There are several different ways to help support students who are having difficulty

keeping up in class. The first thing I can do is to ensure that I have provided the resources for my

students to complete their work. This may mean adapting my lesson plans or materials so that the

students can focus on the content and learning (Education Bureau, 2007). This may mean that if

the students are taking notes from a PowerPoint, I am lecturing from that some of the students

may have a copy of that PowerPoint, especially if they are slower writers. I can also provide a

guided notes sheet for the class. This would allow them to take notes on the material, but it also

gives them a guideline for what they should be writing and if they missed anything important.

For math, I can post videos on the class website that walk through a problem step by step or a

video by Khan Academy that explains some of the information we covered to provide the

students with another explanation on how a math concept is being used.

Grading Practices
 I believe that if students do work, then they should get credit for that work. I also believe

students should be able to get feedback on their work. Therefore, most of the work will be

graded; any assignment that goes beyond multiple-choice will include feedback. The feedback

may be pointing out an error in their work or acknowledging an excellent example or idea they

have included. A rubric will be used to ensure that the students know what is expected of them

for each assignment. This will help them to understand what I want to see in the assignment as

well as preparing them for what needs to be included in the assignment, such as a specific

number of sources or examples. For both math and social studies, daily warm-up exercises will

be used to shift the students’ mindsets into the topic. These exercises will be collected regularly

with points awarded for each day completed and an excuse for students who were absent that

day. While these may not be, individually, a lot of points, if students miss too many it can affect

their overall grade. For more complicated projects, the rubric would breakdown the points for

each area as well as for the level of proficiency that the student demonstrates. Part of my

assessments for both math and social studies are the students keeping a binder with their warm-

ups, handouts, and work. This binder would allow them to practice their organizational skills and

would be collected regularly for a grade. To accomplish this, I provide the students with a list of

what should be in their binder for this check a few days before I plan on checking so that they

have the opportunity to complete any partial assignments as well as organizing them into the

proper order.

To keep track of my students’ grades, I plan to use both a physical record and the school's

chosen online grade book. As I check the students’ work, I can then quickly mark down their

grades into the physical record, this would allow the work to be returned quickly to the students

as well as providing me with an extra copy of the grades that I have assigned. If the online grade
doesn’t match the students’ copy, I can double-check my copy to see if I mistyped the grade

online or if I miswrote the student’s copy. This also provides me with a place to record grades

when the internet is down. I can still grade my students' work and have an organized area for

their grades without fear of losing their work or scrambling to find a place to keep track of their

grades until it comes back up.

Favorite Strategies and Assessments

We have studied a wide range of strategies and assessments, and many of what we have

studied I would like to use in both math and social studies. One such strategy is using Direct

Instruction. This strategy’s use of I do, We do, You do is invaluable in both math and social

studies. In math, students have the opportunity to watch as I work with the concept. Then we can

work together on an example before shifting to pair work practice. Finally, at the end of the

class, students complete the exit ticket demonstrating the “you do” aspect. For social studies, we

still do the same idea, but the release of responsibility is spread out over a longer period. At the

beginning of a section, I relate the material to the class through a combination of videos,

presentations, and lectures. Then the students work on an assessment based on that information.

They would work in small groups or in pairs to complete the assignment. Finally, on the study

guide and test the students would demonstrate their mastery of the information while completing

the “you do” aspect. Another strategy that I like is Compare and Contrast. This strategy is very

adaptable to both math and social studies. It allows the students to break down a concept or

event. For math, the students can look at two different functions and study what they can see that

is similar and what is different. This requires students to focus on the details of the functions

instead of just thinking about how they should solve them. For social studies, the students could

look at an event from two different perspectives and see what stayed the same between the
perspectives and what differed. This requires students to practice looking at the details and

making judgments based on them instead of seeing the broad overview of an event.

How are parents involved

With today’s level of technology, parents have more access than they have in previous

generations. In Algonac, parents have access to both Skyward and their child’s Google

Classroom. This allows parents to not only see what grades their child is receiving but also to see

what is being assigned in class. This allows for the ability for parents to see not only what their

child is learning, but also how that information is being presented. By seeing what is required of

their child, the parents may be more open to asking the teacher about the work and the

requirements, something that was only done during the open house. Schools want parents to be

involved in their student’s academic life; by working together parents and teachers can then

create a support network that will help students to succeed.

Hope in the assessment process

I think that hope can be created in the assessment process in a few ways. First, when

giving feedback do not focus only on what the students did wrong, but also note what they did

right, especially if this is an area they have previously struggled in. While students must know

where they need to improve, they will also benefit from the encouragement and acknowledgment

of what they are doing right. Second, provide an opportunity for students to have some choice.

For example, some assessments can be tiered where the students decide on what level of

difficulty they will work on. Another example is providing students with a list of different types

of assessments and allowing them to choose which one they want to complete, such as an essay,

a diorama, a presentation. This method does require the teacher to spend a lot of time on prep,
especially when giving different assessment options, however, the benefit to the students is well

worth the extra time that it will take them.

Section 5: Engaging Instruction

How the brain learns

Part of the way the brain learns requires that students have a safe and comfortable

learning environment. Research shows that when a student is experiencing distractions, stress,

and worry that their ability to learn becomes increasingly diminished (WKCD, 2012). Teachers

can help by creating a classroom environment where students feel safe in taking risks such as

asking for help or answering questions in front of the class. Research has also shown that the

more engaged the brain is the better the students will learn. This can be both engaging with the

material, but also creating a social connection with their classmates over the material stimulates

“positive emotions neuroplasticity, and learning” (Cozolino, 2013).

Examples of relevant & rigorous learning opportunities

Rigorous learning should include higher-order thinking skills, problem-solving, critical

thinking exercises, and relevant writing across content areas (Mentoring Minds, 2020). This will

require students to practice their skills and work on a higher level than simply recalling

information. An example of this for social studies could be having the students create a

newsletter. This can include the students creating advertisements, writing opinion articles, and

creating posters. This would require students to apply what they have learned in class as well as

practicing their ability to visualize that information. This project also provides students with an

opportunity to practice their writing skills, utilizing what they have learned in their ELA classes.

The more skills students have to use on a project the more practice they gain and the stronger
those skills will become. For math, different projects can also help to create rigorous learning

opportunities such as through performance assessments. This would allow students to apply their

skills in a real-world scenario and demonstrate their understanding of not only the concept

currently being studied but also the concepts that built up to it (Resilient Educator, 2020). This is

especially important as math continually builds on itself as the student learns.

Examples of organizing cooperative learning to enhance engagement and rationale

Cooperative learning utilizes small group work to encourage support through

collaboration. According to Johnson and Johnson, there are five elements to a successful small

group experience: positive interdependence, face-to-face interactions, individual and group

accountability, social skills, group processing (Lewis, 2019). Teachers should have clear

expectations for the small group work including what is expected from the assignment overall,

what is expected from the small group, and what is expected from each student. Each student in

the group should be responsible either for one aspect of the assignment or have some form of

accountability to ensure that all members are participating. There are several benefits to using

cooperative learning as opposed to individual work. The first is that it can provide a nice change

from the usual methods that the class may use, giving both the students and the teacher a nice

change of pace. Another benefit is that it helps students develop their interpersonal skills through

collaboration. The ability to work with others is a skill that is vital in today’s job market. By

developing these skills in school, students will have a firm grasp of the intricacies before they

graduate and therefore have a strong grasp on a very marketable skill.

Examples of interdisciplinary connections

 Interdisciplinary experiences can be made between any of the core subject areas. Each

subject uses at least one of the others and therefore, can be used to create an assessment or

section that engages students in both areas. An example of this would be using ELA techniques

in science and social studies or using math concepts in science. For social studies, we can easily

apply ELA techniques when working with primary and secondary sources. Science can be

applied to social studies in the form of inventions or natural phenomena. An example of this

would be the invention of mustard gas and its use in World War I. This new form of weaponry

had a major impact on war and how it was fought. For the combination of math and social

studies, it can, I will admit, get a little tricky. For social studies, we can use math to track

resources and population levels. An example of this would be the colony of Jamestown, by

knowing the types and amounts of resources the colonists had, we can see how it affects their

population levels. For this example, we can also use knowledge from science class to help

explain how the disease ravaged the colony.

Section #6: Behavioral Issues

In every classroom, regardless of how many IEPs or 504s there are, there are going to be

times when behavioral issues arise. This could range from speaking out of turn to physical

aggression. Depending on the student and the behavioral issue, will depend on how it is handled.

For example, if a student has a habit of continually speaking out of turn, a warning system may

be used. The student would be warned about speaking out of turn and then there may be a

punitive measure employed. However, if there is a student who normally does not have an issue

with speaking out of turn is being overly chatty one day, then they may receive more warnings to

curtail their behavior before punishment is handed out. This change is going to be based on the

student in question and the only way to know what constitutes a habit of inappropriate behavior
or a one-day occurrence is to build a relationship with the students. By knowing what their

“baseline” personalities are, the teacher will be able to know when they are acting out of

character and also know how to help them back into their “normal” behavior (van Woerkom,

2018).

Using their knowledge of the students to know when a particular behavior is out of

character will help teachers to also defuse a potential situation. For example, one day I had a

student who was out of his seat every two minutes (I timed it), while he was always talkative in

class, this was not usual behavior. After asking him to return to his seat several times, I knew

that I either had to send him to the office or I had to find the reason for this behavior. After a

brief private discussion, I learned that he was scared of expulsion due to recent behavioral

problems and had also forgotten to take his medicine that morning. Instead of punishing him, I

allowed him to do his work while pacing to the side of the classroom. This allowed him to use

his excess energy while still learning the material. This solution is not one that would be found in

any classroom management book, but I knew that his behavior was atypical and that if he

physically could not stop moving then we needed to find a way to work with that.

While his behavior should have earned him a punishment, it was not what was needed at

that time. What was needed was someone who would listen to his concerns and fears as well as

someone who would work with him. A teacher’s ability to be flexible must also extend to how

they correct their students. It is not enough to simply look at a behavior and punish that behavior,

instead, teachers need to consider the root cause of that behavior. Are they seeking attention?

Have they had a bad day/week and are frustrated? Are they feeling stupid and are acting out so

others won’t notice? Identifying the cause of behavior can help the teacher to tailor their

reactions more productively and proactively (Keenan, 2017). When teachers address the root
cause the students can learn that when they are feeling in a certain way, how they should behave

instead of the inappropriate behavior. It can also help students to feel safe in their classrooms

because they know that the teacher is going to listen to what they have to say instead of assuming

the worst about them.

A form of positive reinforcement for appropriate behavior is thanking and acknowledging

students when they exhibit appropriate behaviors. This is doubly important when a student who

has difficulty starts to show the appropriate behaviors. By acknowledging their efforts, the

students learn that the teacher notices when they are behaving appropriately. This gives them a

motivation to continue the acceptable behavior because the teacher will give them positive

attention and praise instead of a form of negative attention for misbehaving. Thanking the

students for their efforts shows the student and the class that the teacher is appreciative of the

appropriate behavior. Demonstrating these behaviors models shows them that while you expect

this from them, they should also expect this from the teacher. This helps to build and strengthen

the relationships with the students and creates a calm and secure learning environment.

Section #7: Diversity

In every classroom, there will be a wide range of backgrounds among the students and

teacher. These backgrounds may include different ethnicities, religions, and/or socioeconomic

levels. By creating a positive and safe learning environment, the teacher can set the foundation

for a classroom where students of all backgrounds feel comfortable learning. While this alone

does not ensure that students will accept those of different backgrounds, this foundation provides

a way for the teacher to teach students about diversity.

 For some school districts, diversity tends to be in one area such as socioeconomic with

little race or ethnicity diversity. For these districts, it is important to show the students the world

outside of their area. By learning about other cultures, religions, and beliefs students learn that

there is more to the world than what they have grown up with. Seeing and learning about other

cultures helps them to develop “empathy for those who are different” from themselves (Vu,

2018). As students learn about other cultures, they will start to see how they are similar to their

own and how they are different. This comparison helps them to adjust their schema of culture

and belief to include these new ideas. They begin to build the idea that there is more to the world

than what they have seen in their own homes and families.

Teachers can aid their ability to accept different cultures, beliefs, and abilities by

demonstrating acceptance through their actions and speech. As teachers model these behaviors,

students will pick up that in that classroom this is how they should treat their classmates

regardless of any differences they perceive. This is especially important when a class includes

ELL students. By normalizing the learning of a language and bilingualism, teachers are

normalizing the ELL students' struggle with English. This also demonstrates to the other students

that speaking more than one language is not a hindrance but a skill that takes time to learn and

will be a benefit when they become fluent. It also demonstrates that just because an ELL student

may not speak English fluently, it doesn’t mean that they are stupid or do not understand the

material.

A few ways to support ELL students is to allow them to use their first language in the

class, especially if the teacher or another student also speaks it. This allows them to focus on the

material instead of constantly translating. It also allows them to ask for clarification in a way that

will help them to perform the required tasks more successfully (Alrubail, 2014). By allowing the
students “to speak a language of their choice” it demonstrates to both the ELL students as well as

the rest of the class that bilingualism is acceptable and something that is to be encouraged and

not shamed.

When the teacher is the one who is in the minority, it is still important to build

relationships with their students. This can be accomplished by demonstrating an interest in the

culture and beliefs of their students and their families. By showing a willingness to learn more

about the cultures of their students, teachers are demonstrating that they are open to new

experiences and beliefs as well as being willing to learn about an area where they have no

personal experience. This willingness to learn shows the students and the parents that when the

teacher makes a cultural mistake or misstep that they are willing to learn from their mistakes and

do better. The same belief that teachers are often telling students in their classrooms.

When differentiating, it is important provide support for as many levels of understanding

and learning as possible in the classroom. This could include language dictionaries for the ELL

students, especially ones that are subject specific such as a math language dictionary. This will

provide the ELL students with a resource they can use at any time to help them as they study the

material. Another form of differentitation is showing the directions on the board and then slowly

and clearly reading the directions aloud to the class. This helps the students who are visual

learners to see what the teacher is talking about. This also provides an opportunity for the teacher

to have the students underline or highlight different parts of the directions. This helps them to

remember to complete these specific steps in the assignment.

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